Selling Stigma: Mental Illness and the Media

by Lesley Henderson Oct 11, 2013

The Sun's frontpage for 7 October 2013

In the same week that we celebrate World Mental Health Day, the Sun newspaper ran a front page headline which read “1,200 killed by mental patients”. The statistics were written in lurid ‘blood red’ with much smaller writing below which stated ‘Shock 10 year toll exposes care crisis”. We don’t need to have taken a course in semiotics to make sense of the message. The newspaper said the report was justified in bringing attention to severe underfunding in mental health services provision. This tacit admission that shock tactics are being used to represent a crisis in health and social care can only be seen to fuel public fears about the quality of provision. The threat to ‘Us’, the ‘ordinary population’ is implicit despite the fact that the veracity of the statistics are disputed. Coupled to the on-going austerity agenda this headline contributes to the ‘perfect storm’ whereby vulnerable people are increasingly stigmatised.

Commentators took to blogs, twitter and other media to condemn the news reporting as sensationalist and fuelling prejudice. But this is not an isolated case. Just two weeks ago a major UK supermarket was forced to pull ‘mental patient’ Halloween costumes from their stores following a twitter storm where people condemned the grossly stereotypical outfit. The costume was advertised on the supermarket website with the image of a masked bloodied figure in strait jacket, holding a meat cleaver. The sales description read “Everyone will be running away from you in fear in this mental patient fancy dress costume…. it’s a terrifying Halloween option”. To link those in mental distress with violence to others is a powerful media message that campaigners have long sought to challenge.

New media allows a swift response to stories such as these. Campaigns can be finely targeted towards a particular media or consumer outlet but there is little doubt that the front page mainstream tabloid headline is a powerful and iconic image in UK culture. Furthermore, for The Sun, the mix of mental health, violence and ‘rogue’ benefit claimants is a heady one. Laurie Penny of the New Statesman wrote that the Sun headline plays on:

… precisely the kind of fearmongering that people with mental health problems have come to fear most, implying that they are violent, unstable monsters – as well as lazy benefit scroungers making up their illnesses in order to milk the system. The headline is entirely misleading. In fact, the most recent available figures show that there has been a fall in homicide by people with mental illness, including people with psychosis since 2004.

The impact of stigma is very real. These types of messages are the cause of considerable distress to those who experience mental health problems and to members of their social networks. As many as 9 out of 10 people who experienced mental health problems also experienced stigma, often reporting the experience of stigma was worse than the experience of emotional distress. People who experience stigma are less likely to seek help, and are more likely to be subject to forced treatment. They are also more likely to experience crime than the general population and to fear that they would not be believed or that they may even be detained under mental health legislation.

Campaigns such as #timetochange have tried to challenge socio cultural perceptions of those in mental distress by explicitly using social media to encourage people to share their stories. They have worked with former Labour press aide Alistair Campbell to lend profile to their campaign. Indeed Campbell was vocal in condemning the Sun headline this week. Despite new innovative campaigns and a greater willingness for celebrities to discuss their own mental health problems can we say much has changed? The Sun article marked a return to the mid -1990s where stories of ‘mad psychos’ were rampant. Research conducted in the wake of the move from institutionalised care towards ‘care in the community’ showed that media coverage played a significant role in fuelling public prejudice and stigma. The Glasgow Media Group conducted the first systematic study of mental health in the mass media. The most striking finding was the high prevalence of media stories in which those referenced as being ‘mentally ill’ were associated with ‘violence to others’. Stories typically included reports of attacks on strangers in which the protagonist was labelled ‘maniac’, ‘madman’ and ‘psycho’. A more recent study by the same group highlighted that 45% of stories involving fictional characters with mental illness linked them with violence or harm to others.

The Sun article comes at a time when the UK press has never been under greater pressure to self-regulate and to examine their ethics in news gathering practices. It is also a time when sections of the UK media have been seen to drive a ‘benefits scrounger’ agenda and to fuel discrimination against those who are in fact already marginalised. Many are dissuaded from claiming support to which they are entitled for fear of being branded ‘scrounger’. The success of challenging stigmatising reporting lies partly in shifting perceptions that those in mental distress (and who may also rightly be in receipt of benefits) are ‘them’ and those in mental health are ‘us’.

Graham Thornicroft says, “Our popular images of madness are both long-standing and remarkably stable. One of the best established patterns is to refer to people with mental illnesses as the ‘polar opposites of us”. Much has been done in terms of challenging old stereotypes concerning mental distress but just one high profile headline can undermine these efforts. In the current climate of austerity it is likely that many vulnerable groups will be targeted and scape -goated by parts of the media, from benefits claimants to migrants to those in mental distress. Despite the perception that we live in an enlightened culture when it comes to ‘minority’ groups in our society we must face the reality that the vulnerable have never been more easily targeted.

20 comments

The world is truly a goldmine of extreme doubt because people still believe that mental health patients are natural born killers as the article header implies, which is not true. The reason why is that murderers have an urge to do what they believe is right is product of their past not cause they’re crazy. In the past, I believed we were over that Eugenics movement, but it seems we only left 75% of it behind. If we keep on doing this then what does “We the people” mean anymore.

This is disgusting on multiple levels. Not only does this fear mongering just increase stigma against those who are already in mental distress but the timing is just absurd. With headlines like this, it’s no wonder those suffering are reluctant to get some sort of treatment. It’s just helps society take one more step back from having correct representation of mental illness. It’s already a hard stigma to erase, especially with TV and movies (I’m looking at you thriller and horror) continuously portraying the mentally distressed as violent and psychotic.
There are plenty of ways to raise awareness about the under-funding of mental health services that don’t use scare tactics like this. But unfortunately it seems that The Sun’s sales must have been down to pull a stunt like this, at a time like this.
And It’s also sad that they grabbed at a statistic that covered the last ten years instead of the most recent year, but everyone know small numbers don’t make good headlines!

Like the article stated, “the impact of stigma is very real” and a big reason for that is media. Society’s opinions are shaped by we read, what we hear, and what we see. The media’s negative images of people with mental illnesses and disabilities can lead to major misconceptions and result in severe consequences. It is unfortunate that people with mental illness are not only challenged by their own symptoms, disabilities, and diseases, but also have to face the daily challenges of stereotypes and prejudice by society. Because of this those with mental illness miss out on opportunities to a “normal” quality life because they are either ostracized by society and/or are fearful and embarrassed to seek treatment. If society and media made even the smallest changes in their behavior and attitudes towards acceptance, respect, and nondiscriminatory treatment of people living with a mental illness, the world could become a happier and safer place for all! One easy way to do this is to become educated – it is more likely that someone with knowledge and a clear understanding of mental illness will be less stigmatizing than someone who is misinformed.

It’s absolutely ridiculous that media would use this tactic to bring attention to severe underfunding in mental health services. With a title like that, It seems like the newspaper is only trying to sell more copies, not necessarily bring attention to the underfunding. There are plenty of ways to get a point across without the use of stigmatization.

Whoa that was something I actually didn’t realized was going on untill reading it now. This brings many thoughts up of how we assume things of people who we have yet to understand completely. This is very educational and I enjoyed reading this article on “Selling Stigma” Thank you.

It’s nice to see such an outcry from people to have things like the costume pulled from shelves and ridiculous headlines pulled as well. The one thing I didn’t see this article mention however is the depiction of the mental illness in film and television. Popular movies like the Halloween franchise, Silence of the Lambs depict mental illness in a way that furthers the stigma. Although movie goers understand that this is a fictitious world, they’re still exposed to these characters as being “mentally ill” slashers. This also works for shows like Criminal Minds in which every villain of every episode seems to suffer from some sort of disorder or illness. It just strikes me as odd that tabloids and costumes get torn down and ridiculed but shows and movie’s gross tons of money and high ratings/viewership.

“Stories typically included reports of attacks on strangers in which the protagonist was labelled ‘maniac’, ‘madman’ and ‘psycho’. A more recent study by the same group highlighted that 45% of stories involving fictional characters with mental illness linked them with violence or harm to others.”

I found this pretty absurd because not all mentally ill people are violent. You can still be violent without having any mental illnesses. Anyone and everyone is capable of harming, not just the ill.

Portrayal seems to be the biggest issue when it comes to the notion of mental health stigmatization. The way that people with mental health illness have been portrayed by the media in the past may have caused irreversible damage to the way they will always be viewed. Luckily, we do live in a world where social media makes it easier to spread the truth about people with mental illness but that also means it is just as easy to spread prejudice as well. It is bittersweet to have people talk about mental illness over social media because there are still so many biased opinions. Technology can play a big part in ending stigma and getting people to open up and communicate but some myths about mental illness are too deeply ingrained into the media to get some people to believe otherwise and help end the stigmatization. It is deeply sorrowing to think that people still associate people with mental illness as violent, crazy or less intelligent than a “normal” person.

Interesting read. However, it takes time to change the perception of something as complex as mental disorders and public stigma. Media has always been influential in our perception of mental illness, and unfortunately, it has presented us a very narrow picture of mental illness; mostly misconceptions based on prejudice and stereotypes. Magazines like “The Sun’ with its for-profit, yellow press kind of business model does not surprise me by writing something ‘mainstream’ like this. In fact, I would be more surprised if they actually did try to change the perception of mental illness as oppose to enforce it like they did in this example. They write head-lines that people want to read, not necessarily what they ought to read, only to make a greater monetary profit.
However, I notice a change in recent years: media has begun to humanize mental illness and the people living with it. There is a public curiosity around the ‘mystery’ behind mental illness that has encouraged the making of several documentaries on the subject as well as having celebrities and other public figures talking openly about their periods of depression or mania. I personally think we are trying to dismantle the mystery behind mental illness and finally trying to understand what it really is.
Unfortunately, due to the last year’s news reporting on school shootings, mental illness is once again on the table as the simple explanation to all the unnecessary, evil violence… Tragically, this will only effect in fewer people seeking help for their problems due to stigmatization.
I am disappointed to see British ‘The Sun’ write such a thing when the government in the UK is working really hard to ‘de-stigmatize’ mental illness with the same method that initially established most of the current prejudice and stereotypes; several ad-campaigns focusing on educating the public on how it is to live with a mental disorder, and knock down the stigma surrounding it, have been broadcasted on national public service channels around the UK.
When it comes to the terrible Halloween-costumes, I’m speechless. there are no words for it.

It really irks me how often people stigmatize those who suffer from mental illness by associating mental illness with aggression and violence. I think it’s not only from this, but from what people see in movies and television as well.

As soon as i read the part about the Halloween costume, I felt really upset with myself because that’s just one little detail that I’ve overlooked my entire life. Up until having these psychology classes, I would have been like “yeah, scary costume.” Now that I’m a little more aware, the only thing scary about a “mental patient fancy dress costume” is the fact that it’s being manufactured somewhere. It’s amazing how people are so afraid of what they don’t understand or of what they’re unfamiliar with.

When we hear news story that involves someone with a mental illness, we think, “Why didn’t that person just go get help?” The reason is the stigma behind being a mental health patient. The person might feel that if they have to go see a psychologist, then it solidifies the idea that they are “crazy”, or “psycho”. No one wants to label themselves as something that is connected to violence. If someone figures out that you see a psychologist regularly, then they might think you aren’t safe to be around.
The idea of the connection between someone who suffers from a mental illness and violence must be stopped.

This just proves how much of an impact the media has on our views. The fact that many people actually fear those with any sort of mental illness is unbelievable but we have to think about where that opinion may have derived from. We see people with mental illness being portrayed as violent everyday in the movies we watch and the books we read. How can we expect to not stigmatize those with these illnesses if everything around us does it for us? It isn’t fair or right that there is this stigmatization on top of these already emotionally distressing issues that people with mental illnesses have to deal with on a daily basis.

I find the headline disturbing. I understand that the media likes to use “shock tactics” to lure you in, but the headline its self is stigmatizing the mentally ill. Reading the title gives off the assumption that the mentally ill are violent creatures. And I can only assume that the majority of people that saw this issue of The Sun didn’t even bother to read the article (which was said to be justified). Passing by, one only recognizing the large blood red statistic is screaming at you to keep clear of the mentally ill. In which this shock tactic is doing more harm than spreading awareness of the issues at hand. Its refreshing to see that people are taking notice of the medias use of “selling stigmatism” and taking action against it.

If it rakes in money and ratings you will see the media taking advantage of stereotypes, disregarding any responsibility and criticism. While is true that many years of a society’s view towards any community, in this case people with mental illness, doesn’t disappear over night, popularizing the stereotype of persons with mental disabilities as monsters doesn’t help. It almost gives the impression that the media gets their information from many popular murder dramas that involve a mentally disabled person, rarely having a main character with a mental illness not being labeled as antagonistic. Thus, every time there are reports about violent shootings, people have a knee-jerk reaction to linking it to what they see on tv.

This is one of only a few articles that I have read that bring light to this media speculation. It is indeed true that a headline like this will just stand out amongst the others. It is also true that almost anybody who read that headline would believe it right away. Why wouldn’t they though? it is out there in the open and in large font so it must be true. The perception of the mentally ill and the stigma that follows will not go away quietly. Human nature (more than ever) is self idolizing and ultimately fearful of the unknown. I love the part about the costume. That is so typical of culture to categorize anything foreign to them as a gimmick or terrifying. We are nurtured to fear evil. We are conditioned to associate it with insanity.

The media is a very dangerous force in regards to stigma of any kind. Be it mental illness, physical traits, gender, race, sexuality, etc., there are a ton of advertisements, shows or movies that portray these differences in an inaccurate or negative light. It’s truly disgusting how popular media feeds into people’s distrust for things that are different in order to make a profit.
However, I’m relieved by the number of times this article has talked people protesting on almost every example of stigmatization it mentions. With the internet and social media allowing people to communicate on such a large scale these days, it gives us more power to fight back against the stigma that’s being pushed at us by business. Hopefully we can use this opportunity to spread awareness and take the power away from stigma like this by letting the media know that we will not tolerate their hate.

This was something that is always going to be affecting us for most of our lives. People don’t see what is happening and how what we decide to do is affecting those around us. We have a belief of what is acceptable or normal to the world. And we are not able to let those ideals be changed. We don’t want to accept others because they are different.

Thanks to all of those who commented on the article. I was interested in your perspectives on mental health and the UK media and like some of you mention it is important to consider not just news but also the many fictional portrayals too. The fact that were was such an outcry over the ‘mental patient’ Halloween costume shows that public perceptions can change and social media might have a key part to play in challenging negative associations.